Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)– The government is going to resume gas connections to industries by April this year with augmentation of gas supplies to the national gas grid, Prime Minister’s adviser on energy issues Dr Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury has said.
“We’ll start giving gas connections to industries from March-April next on limited scale,” Mr. Chowdhury said while speaking as the chief guest in a roundtable titled, “State of the Economy,” organized by the Board of Investment (BoI) at BoI conference room in the capital Dhaka on Tuesday.
Gas connections to industries remained suspended since June 2009 as the natural gas demand outpaced supply and a significant number of the existing consumers were not getting gas at adequate pressure.
“Natural gas production will increase by around 100 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd) by April, when a number of new gas wells will start production in Fenchuganj and Salda,” the adviser said, adding that a new gas compressor station at Muchai would start operation by then to facilitate supplying new gas to the national gas grid.
He also said the government is also devising a policy to supply electricity uninterruptedly to industrial units through separate lines.
The energy adviser said currently there was no restriction on giving new electricity connections. “Now the customers can submit online applications for receiving for new electricity connections,” he noted.
BBN/SSR/AD-29Feb12-10:15 am (BST)
